Some venues agree to earlier lockout

Some of Byron Bay’s late-night venues have agreed to an earlier or staged lockout during this weekend’s three-day Splendour in the Grass festival in a bid to help police combat alcohol-fuelled violence in the town.

It comes after Byron Bay’s Liquor Accord previously defended its refusal of a police request to close an hour earlier during the festival.

More than 15,000 young people are expected to attend the festival each day at Belongil Fields and police had asked the town’s Liquor Accord for an earlier than 2am lockout as festival goers and revellers flood the town after midnight.

The accord initially rejected the plan, claiming it would move the problem elsewhere but this week it proposed to police a staged lockout.